Scientific and Developmental Theories
Please answer each of these questions in your discussion response. Your total response should be at least 150-250 words and should answer ALL of the following questions. Each of these five questions should be at least one separate paragraph. You should also include at least one in-text citation from class learning resources (Lally & Valentine-French text; Watson lectures; Module 1 mini-lectures) with an associated reference. Please follow APA style with your in-text citations and your list of references.
NUMBER THE QUESTIONS IN YOUR POST. It will help you to organize your writing.
What is a scientific theory? Please cite a definition that you like.
What is the difference between a scientific theory and common sense ideas about the same topic (for example, why a child seeks a bottle at birth)?
Determine at least one thing that distinguishes a developmental theory from other theories about people?
How could a good developmental theory be valuable for social policy and your own life?
What major issue(s) in developmental theory do you feel is(are) most important and why? (If needed, refresh your memory by reviewing pages 16-17, 3 issues, in the Lally & Valentine-French textbook.)
DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES
Author’s Name
The Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Answer to Question One
A scientific theory is an idea that is established after repeated testing and refining. Such theories are refined through extensive tests and backed by adequate empirical evidence to ensure their reliability, dependability, transferability, and generalizability (Redekop, 2020).
Answer to Question Two
A scientific theory differs starkly from a common idea as the former is usually based on repeated testing and empirical evidence to support its assumptions (Redekop, 2020). On the other hand, a commonsense idea is usually based on personal experience or understanding developed through the interplay of senses without regard to scientific evidence. For instance, based on common sense, it can be assumed that a child seeks a bottle at birth simply because they are hungry. On the other hand, scientific evidence suggests that a child’s desire for attachment and bonding aside from hunger also contributes to their attachment to the bottle. Hence, scientific understanding offers a more holistic, nuanced, and reliable understanding of a phenomenon.
Answer to Question Three
A developmental theory is generally dynamic in nature as it covers the changes from emotional, cognitive, physical, and socio-psychological perspectives in people as they grow from birth to death (Lally & Valentine-French, 2017). Other theories about people generally focus on personality and other factors from a static standpoint or with references to one or two stages from what is included in developme...
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